Car theft, murder case suspects nabbed by NBI

The National Bureau of Investigation arrested the other day two suspects in the grisly car theft and murders of a mother and her young daughter in Las Piñas last January.

NBI Special Action Unit chief Edmund Arugay identified the suspects as Albino Paradina, alias Jun, 38, of Tunasan, Muntinlupa; and Alfredo Hernandez, alias "Boy Sabong," 48, of 64 Purok Uno, Block 8, Bayanan, Muntinlupa. A third suspect identified as Donald Pagkalinawan, remains at large.

Arugay said the suspects were allegedly behind the murder of Helen Ko Calupig, 40; and her 14-year old daughter Grace last January 20.

According to Arlito Calipug, husband of Helen and father of Grace, the victims were aboard their blue Mitsubishi Adventure van on their way to the Zapote Market to buy bakery products for their bakeshop when their van was commandeered at knifepoint by the suspects near the Shoe Mart Las Piñas mall.

The victims were found the following morning dead and dumped in two separate creeks in Barangay Bangyas, Calauan, Laguna.

According to the NBI, the victims’ hands were tied and their heads covered by plastic bags, indicating that they were suffocated to death.
The suspects were later arrested by elements of the Muntinlupa police as they were driving aboard the stolen van. The NBI coordinated with the police and conducted a tactical interrogation on the suspects regarding the murder case.

Under questioning, Hernandez confessed that at about 9:30 p.m. last January 20, he joined Pardina and Pagkalinawan in stealing the Calupigs’ van.

He told agents that they first flattened one of the van’s tires with a nail and pretended to help the victims change the tire. Then at knifepoint, the suspects boarded the van and took the victims along to Laguna. NBI agents meanwhile have launched a hunt for Pagkalinawan alias "Dona." – Mike Frialde